


Live By the Sword

by madokas



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Katagawa is Rhys' personal assistant, M/M, Slow Burn, an edgy title but how edgy will it be? idk yet!, but not that slow because i cant write much, katagawa deserves better, personal assistant au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 20:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22004125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madokas/pseuds/madokas
Summary: There were only 10 seats on the board of directors.He would never have a voice - not one that mattered, anyway.With a scowl deeper than usual, he typed furiously on his computer. He had no interest in succumbing to his fate. In this world, things were kill or be killed.Katagawa could do better than Maliwan, anyway.//there's not enough happy rhysgawa fics so here I am appealing to my own interests!
Relationships: Katagawa Jr./Rhys (Borderlands)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 56





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hi im a total noob at fics please be patient w me pls and thamk u. i read a lot but i have no clue what im doing here. 
> 
> Title from Dorian Electra's song! Steam Flamboyant on spotify.

Maliwan: form and function. This motto did not just refer to the performance of the weapons they produced, but the company’s business model itself. Maliwan ruled over its employees like a dictatorship, looming over them like a dark shadow. 

If you did not comply with Maliwan’s policies, you would not last. Soldiers functioned as one body, often nameless and easily replaceable. Those in corporate would have any sense of free will or individually choked out of them before they walked in the door.

God forbid you work in the service industry. Go ahead and write a living will.

Katagawa knew this better than anyone. From birth he had the odds stacked against him. It doesn’t matter if you have access to the best teachers or get the best grades, not in his family. His father was strict, traditional, and usually absent. Katagawa may have been an heir to the Maliwan name, but he was the last one of twelve and it was a list that would strictly go in order. 

_ Who the hell has twelve kids, _ he would often ponder. _ It's not like we live on a poverty ridden planet where most of us would die before adulthood. _ The thought made him chuckle, morbid as it was, he couldn’t deny it would make things easier for him. It would shorten the ladder and trim the family tree. 

“Fuck,” he slammed his hand on the keyboard, erasing the document for what felt like the hundredth time. 

Anyone else would think he was spoiled and ungrateful. The Katagawa family must be rich! (Yes, they were.) He could go to school anywhere he wanted! (As long as it was business and STEM only.) The truth was he was chained to Maliwan like a prison. It was no ordinary business. All employees were marked when they joined, but they were branded from birth. They were property as much as the guns they sold. 

True, being higher up in the family meant Katagawa got a good job as soon as he graduated, a gift from his father. His underlings always looked at him with destain, no matter how he tried to prove himself. His resting bitch face surely didn’t do him any favors. This company might be one of the most extreme cases of nepotism. Father controlled everything. Pushing 80 and likely would not step down from the office until he was on his deathbed. All twelve children were raised to the same standard of intelligence, but it would always be Issaku who would take the throne. It was inevitable. When that day came, his oldest brother could transform the company however he wished. Their uncles and aunts could be forced into early retirement, making room for the next generation.    
  
Katagawa already read up on the history of past transfers of power. He knew what to expect. 

There were only 10 seats on the board of directors. 

He would never have a voice - not one that mattered, anyway. 

With a scowl deeper than usual, he typed furiously on his computer. He had no interest in succumbing to his fate. In this world, things were kill or be killed. His many teachers emphasized that. Be ruthless. Show no hesitation. 

For a while he’d kept up on information regarding Maliwan’s top competitors. Business models, sales, interviews, scandels, so on and so forth. Research to use to his advantage. Impress his elders, take down his enemies. Eventually, though, something surprised him. Surprised everyone. A long thought dead company risen from the ashes. Katagawa was in college when he first saw the man behind it in an interview. It intrigued him. His story, his methods. Many voiced that they didn’t take him for the CEO-type. He was too nice and too young looking. Some said he’d never get far caring so much about his individual employees. Katagawa found this refreshing, even if it was something he could not voice aloud. 

Rhys Strongfork: the man who saved Atlas. He certainly beat the odds, a master of his own fate. It was something that stuck with him years later. Inspiring. 

All which lead him here. On his secure personal echo, in his office, typing out a… resume. Just the thought of doing so was enough to count for treason. The punishment… if he got caught- 

He’d just have to move fast. 

He hit send. 

Despite it all, he couldn’t bring himself to lie about his name on the form. 


	2. Is it eloping if you're alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> going on a trip in my favorite rocket ship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhh
> 
> i gave katagawa a first name, Eiji (英志) with the symbols for hero and aspire. because i was being ironic, he's not a hero in bl3. (but here....?) I'll basically never use it, though.   
> (Also if you're curious, i think Katagawa could be 片側, which means one side.)

_ “Welcome to Atlas!”  _ A voice chimed from the TV in the front of the room. It played a prerecorded orientation video for new hires. The CEO’s silly smile was on the wide screen.  _ “Here we care about more than profits. We care about you.” _ Rhys pointed to the camera.  _ “Employee morale is higher here than any of our competitors, and studies find that this in turn bursts productivity which bursts sales!” _ Rhys made some funny hand motion. It was refreshing to see a video of him he hadn’t before, even if it was almost painful rehearsed. He was not exactly the best actor.    
  
_ “Atlas! Change starts with you, give it a shot.” _

Was that a gun pun? He cringed. 

Katagawa sat in the center of a small classroom along with a dozen or so other business-looking types. At least they don’t quite seem as stiff and boring as those at Maliwan. That’s a plus, but business is business, and Katagawa knew not to get his hopes up. This was simply a fresh start. 

It was hard to believe he made it here in one piece. Two weeks ago he sent in the application. A week ago, he got a response from AtlasEmploys ™ on his encrypted email asking him to do an echo interview. Katagawa may have choked on his coffee that morning. To be honest, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting out of it. 

By then it was too late to back out - not that he had any desire to. As soon as it was nightfall on Eden-5, Katagawa packed the smallest bag he could manage and snuck out of Maliwan headquarters as to not be suspicious. It wouldn’t have been safe to do the interview there, but he couldn’t let on that it was possible he might not return. He headed to Eden-4 first, considering it a safe layover of sorts to conduct the interview and get his other affairs in order if he got the job. 

Surprisingly, it went off without a hitch. Of course his credentials were more than thorough for someone his age. With a focus in drafting and design, he felt confident he could do anyone’s job well enough if put up to the challenge. His relevant certifications took up half a page. He could not only put a gun together but shoot it as well. 

The whole interview Katagawa was steadying himself and preparing for a personal question.  _ Are you really a Katagawa? Why are you leaving Maliwan? Are you a spy? Why should we trust you?  _ Any company has to do background checks, and ‘Katagawa’ can come up in any Echoogle search! 

/

“Eiji Katagawa?” The woman on the echo spoke.

Repressing the urge to cringe at the poor pronunciation of his name, Katagawa nodded. At Maliwan anyone knew better than to let a simple act of disrespect slip out, but he must get used to such things. “Yes. Thank you for having me.” 

“Why do you want to work for Atlas?” A seemingly innocent question, wasn’t it? The woman smiled, and he could tell from the shift in her posture that she had just crossed her legs. He hadn’t expected the interview to be so ordinary. He expected some yelling, or even laughing on the other side, at the very least. 

Some people really need to watch the news more instead of EchoDramas. Especially if you’re going to work in Human Resources. 

“I believe in your CEO’s mission statement,” Katagawa started, “I have no doubt I could perform my job well anywhere.” It was true; He was not just projecting confidence for the sake of a good interview. “but I felt as if my growth would be impeded elsewhere. Atlas has been doing business differently, changing the dynamic of the weapons industry and I admire Rhys Strongfork for that initiative.” He could ramble on about his thoughts of Rhys for a while, there were plenty. 

The interview continued in a plain manor and then Katagawa was hired on the spot. 

/

“Hi everyone! My name’s Kim, short for Kimberly, and I’ll be helping y’all get adjusted into Atlas today!” The same woman from HR who had interviewed him now stood in front of the group of new hires with much more pep in her step. There could only be one thing responsible for this, caffeine. A paper cup with her name scribbled on it sat forgotten on the table, and it looked like there were more peeking out from the trash bin beside it. Already on his second cup, Katagawa understood. He had a plethora of excuses himself though: stress, travel, jet lag, etc. The difference of interplanetary travel can be quite extreme. Katagawa had never been to Promethea before.

It was even better than the pictures. 

“Rather than put you straight to work, we’re gonna start you off with a quick tour! Don’t want you noobs getting lost on your first day.” Kim giggled, “don’t worry, this is still on paid time, yours and mine.” There was a glint in her eye, a warning, almost. A reminder that no matter how friendly someone seems, how welcoming a new environment is, people only care about the money. Katagawa sighed.

_ Whatever.  _

Kimberly ‘Kim’ whatever-her-last-name-was lead the group through all the important areas of Atlas, starting with the main entrance and the interior fast travel location. “I sure hope everyone knows how to use one of these bad boys, because teaching you that is  _ not  _ my job.” She gave the machine a harsh tap, glaring at the crowd.  _ Who the hell doesn't? _ Katagawa rolled his eyes. “At the end of this tour you’ll be given an attachment to your echo that’ll let you use the fast travel here and give you access to your appropriate workrooms.” 

From the courtyard they ventured into the cafeteria, which was scarcely populated at 10am local time. IT definitely was not a prime brunch spot. Katagawa did the math in his head and figured it must be 4pm back home. He had ditched all ways for his family to contact or trace his location, but he did wonder if there would be any voice messages waiting for him if he checked. Probably just Sana, yelling at him for not showing up to work. Yuko, swearing to kill him if he didn’t come through for the presentation. He smiled to himself, briefly, at the image of things he would not miss. 

“This place gets slammed come noon, really. Tighter than a skag’s anus in here.” Kim spread her arms wide to exaggerate. “Take your lunch early or late if you want to sit, or go outside. Oh! And word of advice. Don’t do mystery meat sloppy joe’s the last week of the month. I can’t confirm anything, but I’ve heard rumors that - well. It’s better I don’t say.” The woman winked. 

There were some murmurs among the group as they started moving forward again but Katagawa was frozen stiff. This was one item he had not accounted for. He would have to eat…  _ commoner food _ . He could shed a tear, if his tear ducts weren’t dried up. 

_ You are a commoner now. This is what you wanted.  _ He had to remind himself. He furrowed his brow and caught up to the rest of the group, fist clenched until his nails bore marks until his palm. 

They visited the offices of a few departments, realizing that the tour group was not all in the same field. It was surprising to see how open the facilities were. Maliwan main headquarters was built straight up. It was one of the tallest buildings on Eden-5. The basement further expanded its size and the overwhelming feeling of being trapped as well. Atlas seemed much more free... It didn’t feel like a prison. There was room to breathe. Katagawa wondered how much of it was the original architecture and how much was Rhys’ surely brilliant design. Perhaps he’d look up the original blueprints, once he settled down. 

If Maliwan was a prison, Atlas reminded him of a castle. With the tower at the center, everything surrounding was its kingdom. 

“Yes, crane your necks everyone. The metaphorical mainframe of Atlas.” She joined everyone in looking up. It wasn’t as tall as Maliwan, but it’s design was breathtaking. Katagawa couldn’t wait to see the lights at night. He subtly took a photo with his EchoEye. “It’s 69 Floors, with our CEO at the very top.”

“Ha-” Katagawa quickly covered his mouth, trying to disguise his laugh as a cough. He earned himself a glare from the woman in HR and a few raised eyebrows from others. That’s something he’d never read about online. No way that’s an accident. What a guy. 

“In here is all the executives, HR, accounting, customer service, no that’s not the same as HR, data management, and some other lower level desk jobs I don’t care about. Nothing that might blow up and cause damage to the beautiful building!”  _ You take one class on the study of interpersonal relations and you think everyone else’s job is a joke _ , Katagawa thought. 

So that’s where Katagawa would be now, sitting at the feet of his idol. Probably a cubicle instead of an office, but he’d no doubt work his way up. If he could just  _ meet  _ Rhys, shake his cybernetic arm…

Kim held her echo tablet up, scrolling down to see something. “Usually Rhys comes down to give the new recruits a quick hello, but it says he’s busy with a meeting today. That’s too bad.” That made Katagawa perk up, though he was slightly let down. He would have been  _ so close _ . She shrugged, uncaring, but her shrug turned into a small jump with an accompanying yelp as there was a flash behind them. “Oh-!”

A new figure had appeared, tall and clad in full body amor. Sword in their hand, Katagawa recognized them as Rhys’ personal bodyguard. Their body language just as unclear in person as it was in all the videos they appeared in the background of. 

“Welcome to Atlas

I hope everyone survives

The new experience.”

A man to his right passed out, “Accountants,” he heard someone mumble, “weak.” 

“Aha,” Kimberly laughed weakly, clearly not amused. “Everyone, this is Zer0.” On cue, a 0 appeared on their mask screen. “I think they’re just here to scare you, honestly.”

Katagawa felt their gaze bore right through them. He took a step to the side, subtly trying to get out of Zer0’s line of sight. If anyone would recognize him, and make a scene out of it, it’d be the CEO’s bodyguard slash assassin slash best bro.

“Stay out of trouble.

You don’t want a visit

From me, one on one.”

Uh oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi pls leave comments this is the real first chapter and the most ive ever written uwu

**Author's Note:**

> comments appreciated pls and thank u uwu   
> im @katagawabaii on twt and i would enjoy BL friends


End file.
